Finding English-Speaking Hospitals in China

Getting sick or hurt in a foreign country is stressful enough without a language barrier. The good news: China has a large and growing network of hospitals that serve foreign patients in English and other languages. According to the China Hospital Association's 2024 industry report, around 850 medical facilities across 57 mainland cities now offer dedicated international medical services. The catch is that the public hospitals most locals use run mostly in Chinese, so knowing where the English-speaking options are — and how to reach them in an emergency — saves you a lot of trouble.

This guide covers the emergency numbers you need, the difference between your hospital options, named international hospitals and clinics in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou with their 24-hour lines, what it costs, and how payment and appointments actually work.

First: emergency numbers you can call right now

If someone is seriously injured, unconscious, having chest pain, or in any life-threatening situation, call an ambulance first. In China the national medical emergency (ambulance) number is 120. It's free to call.

Other numbers worth saving:

• 120 — ambulance / medical emergency (free)
• 110 — police (free)
• 119 — fire (free)
• 122 — traffic accidents

In Beijing there are actually two ambulance systems running in parallel — 120 and 999 — both of which can dispatch an ambulance.

If you're a guest at a hotel, calling the front desk and asking them to phone 120 for you is often the fastest path — they can give the dispatcher a precise Chinese address and meet the ambulance at the door.

The faster route for non-life-threatening problems

For anything that isn't an immediate emergency — a high fever, a sprain, an infection, a bad stomach — you're usually better off calling an international hospital's own 24-hour line directly (listed by city below). Their staff answer in English, can advise you over the phone, and many run their own ambulances. You skip the language gap entirely.

Understanding your three options

Foreign travelers in China generally choose between three types of facility. They differ a lot in language support, price, and how you pay.

A few things to understand about how this works:

• Public hospital general departments are cheap and competent, but signage, registration and consultations are largely in Chinese. Fine for a minor issue if you have a translation app or a Chinese-speaking friend, harder if you're on your own.
• Public hospital international departments (国际医疗部, guójì yīliáo bù) sit inside major public hospitals and offer English-speaking service, shorter waits, and access to the same specialists. They cost more and are self-pay or billed to private insurance — China's national health insurance does not cover the international/VIP departments.
• Private international hospitals like United Family or Jiahui feel closest to what travelers from the US, Europe, Japan or Korea are used to: full English, Western-trained doctors, and direct billing with many global insurers. They are also the most expensive.

Beijing

The Beijing municipal government maintains an official English-language Medical Guide for Foreigners listing major hospitals with full foreign-language service. The big names include Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH), China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, plus private hospitals like Beijing United Family and Raffles.

Hospitals with 24-hour English-speaking emergency care

PUMCH International Medical Services (北京协和医院国际医疗部): The Dongdan campus is at 1 Shuaifuyuan, Wangfujing, Dongcheng District, and runs a 24/7 emergency room year-round. Outpatient day clinics run Monday–Friday 8am–5pm, evening clinics Monday–Thursday 5pm–7pm, and weekend clinics Saturday–Sunday 8am–12pm. For appointments, call the Dongdan line at (+8610) 6915-6699 ext. 2 for English service, or book online through the official English PUMCH website or the bilingual PUMCH app. Note the Xidan campus has no emergency department.

Beijing United Family Hospital (北京和睦家医院): Founded in 1997, it was the first international general hospital in Beijing and is JCI-accredited, with US board-certified emergency physicians, NICU/ICU, and 24-hour CT and ultrasound. Main campus: 2 Jiangtai Road, Chaoyang District, 100015 (Metro Line 14, Jiangtai Station, Exit A/B). The 24-hour service center is 4008-919191 and the 24-hour ER hotline is +86-10-5927-7120. See the official United Family Beijing site for details.

Raffles Hospital Beijing (北京莱佛士医院): Room 105, Tower 1, Kunsha Center, 16 Xinyuanli, Chaoyang District. Outpatient hours 8:00–12:00 and 13:00–17:30, emergency 24 hours. The 24h service line is (010) 8793-7700 and the 24h emergency line is (010) 8793-7999, with 20+ languages available.

Shanghai

Shanghai serves a large number of foreign patients — over 73,000 outpatient visits by passport-holders in a recent year, up more than 8% year on year — and it has built out international services aggressively. The city has approved 22 public facilities as international medical pilot units and even published China's first local standard for international medical service. The Shanghai government's official International Medical Services page lists the main options, including Huashan Hospital's international clinic, Ruijin, Zhongshan, and the private Jiahui International Hospital.

Hospitals and clinics with 24-hour English-speaking care

Jiahui International Hospital (上海嘉会国际医院): At 689 Guiping Road, Xuhui District, this was Shanghai's first government-authorized international hospital (opened 2017). It's open 24 hours including a 24/7 emergency room, with 35+ specialties and JCI accreditation. The 24-hour hotline is 400-868-3000.

Shanghai United Family Hospital (上海和睦家医院): Appointment center 400-639-3900; 24-hour ER hotline +86-21-2216-3999; main switchboard +86-21-2216-3900. The Changning campus runs a 24/7 ER; the Pudong campus ER operates daily from 17:00 to 09:00. United Family offers direct billing with 40+ global insurers — see the official Shanghai United Family site.

Shanghai East International Medical Center (SEIMC, 上海东方国际医疗中心): Established in 2004, it runs 24/7 emergency service with multilingual staff and accepts insurance, credit cards and mobile payment. The 24-hour hotline is 5879-9999 or 150-0019-0899 (Chinese and English). Details on the SEIMC official site.

Huashan Hospital International Clinic (华山医院国际诊所): The foreign-patient outpatient clinic is on Floor 8, Building 1, 12 Urumqi Middle Road, phone 6248-3986 / 5288-9998 (24 hours). For an ambulance or true emergency, go directly to the Huashan Hospital ER at Floor 1, Building 1, 493 Huashan Road.

ParkwayHealth: This private network runs several clinics across Shanghai with one 24-hour appointment center at 400-819-6622. Clinics include the Shanghai Centre Medical and Dental Center (1376 Nanjing West Road) and locations on Hongqiao Road and in the Jin Mao Tower. Parkway Shanghai Hospital (1172 Jile Road, Minhang) is open Monday–Saturday 8:30–17:30, with English, German, Cantonese, Spanish, Korean and French service and several direct-billing insurers.

Guangzhou

Guangzhou's options are a mix of foreigner-focused clinics and public hospitals with dedicated foreigner or emergency lines. The information below is compiled from consular and official sources; since some of it dates back a few years, call ahead to confirm before relying on it.

• EurAm Medical Center (康辰国际医疗): North Tower, Ocean Pearl Building, 19 Huali Road, Zhujiang New Town, Tianhe District. 24-hour English hotline (86) 137-1041-3347.
• CanAm International Medical Center (加美国际医疗中心): 5/F, Garden Tower, Garden Hotel, 368 Huanshi East Road, Yuexiu District. Phone (86 20) 8386-6988.
• Guangzhou Overseas Chinese Hospital (华侨医院): emergency +86-20-3868-8102.
• Nanfang Hospital (南方医院): +86-20-8514-1888 ext. 87287 or +86-20-8770-5656 (foreigner services); emergency +86-20-8770-6163.

United Family Healthcare also operates hospitals and clinics in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Qingdao and other cities, all with 24/7 emergency departments. For the most current Guangzhou list, the Australian Consulate-General's medical facility list is a useful reference.

Other cities

Beyond the big three, English-speaking care is genuinely available in cities like Shenzhen, Chengdu, Xi'an, Hangzhou, Tianjin and Qingdao — United Family alone covers several of them, and many large public hospitals now run international departments. We weren't able to verify specific addresses and 24-hour emergency numbers for every city to the standard we hold for Beijing and Shanghai, so rather than print numbers that might be out of date, check the latest details directly before you travel. Two reliable starting points are your own embassy's website (many publish a vetted local hospital list) and the UK government's list of medical facilities in China, which covers multiple cities.

What it costs and how you pay

Costs vary enormously depending on which type of facility you use. As a rough guide for outpatient visits:

These are ballpark ranges from third-party sources and shift over time, so treat them as orientation rather than a quote. The pattern holds, though: the more English support and convenience you want, the more you pay.

This is the single most important thing to sort out before your trip. A good travel medical insurance policy that covers China — ideally one that offers direct billing with international hospitals or fast reimbursement — turns a frightening, expensive situation into a manageable one. Services like SafetyWing are popular with travelers and long-stay visitors for exactly this reason. Check that your policy actually covers China and read what it pays for before you rely on it.

Common questions

Will a regular public hospital treat me as a foreigner?

Yes. Public hospitals will treat anyone, and almost all have emergency departments. The barrier is language and the pay-first system, not eligibility. For an emergency where time matters more than comfort, the nearest public hospital ER is a completely valid choice — get there first, sort out the rest after.

Should I call 120 or the hospital directly?

For a life-threatening emergency, call 120 (or have someone call for you) — they'll dispatch the nearest ambulance fastest. For urgent-but-not-critical problems, calling an international hospital's own 24-hour English line is often smoother: you get English-speaking advice and many run their own ambulances.

Do I need to bring my passport?

Yes. Registration and appointment systems use real-name verification, and foreigners verify with a passport. Bring it to every visit, along with your insurance card or details if you have them.

Can I pay with a foreign credit card?

It varies by hospital. Many private international hospitals accept Visa and Mastercard; public hospitals lean heavily on cash, WeChat Pay and Alipay. Set up a mobile payment app before you travel so you're not caught out — and carry some cash as a backup.

What about JCI accreditation — does it matter?

JCI (Joint Commission International) is a US-based hospital accreditation that many travelers recognize. As of late 2022 China had 46 JCI-accredited facilities, mostly private hospitals. Hospitals like Beijing/Shanghai United Family and Jiahui have held it. Accreditation can change, so if it matters to you, confirm a hospital's current status when you contact them.

Quick takeaways

• Life-threatening emergency: call 120 for an ambulance (free). Have your address and symptoms ready in Chinese, or ask hotel staff to call.
• Urgent but not critical: call an international hospital's 24-hour English line directly — you skip the language gap.
• Three tiers: public general (cheap, mostly Chinese), public international department (English, mid-price), private international hospital (full English, priciest).
• Save numbers in advance for the cities you'll visit — Beijing PUMCH, United Family, Raffles; Shanghai Jiahui, United Family, SEIMC; Guangzhou EurAm and major public hospitals.
• Sort out travel medical insurance before you go. National health insurance won't cover international departments, and bills can be large.
• Carry your passport and have a mobile payment app set up.

Spending fifteen minutes before your trip to save a couple of phone numbers and confirm your insurance covers China is the best medical preparation you can do. You probably won't need it — but if you do, you'll be very glad you did.

Related reading

• Emergency Contacts — the full list of numbers to save before you arrive.
• Health & Medical Care — pharmacies, common illnesses, and staying healthy on the road.
• Travel Insurance for China — what to look for in a policy that covers China.
• Embassy Contacts — your embassy can help in a serious medical situation.
• Language Basics - Survival Phrases — key medical phrases worth knowing.

Last updated: June 2026